Pope speaks of duty to convert others to the faith

VATICAN CITY — The Roman Catholic Church has the inalienable right and duty to convert any person to Christianity, Pope Benedict XVI said Saturday.

Evangelism is a central mission of the Church, the pope told a Vatican body that encourages Catholic missionary activity.

The appeal for the conversion of “all nations,” attributed to Jesus Christ in the Gospels, remains “an obligatory mandate for the entire Church and for every believer in Christ,” the pontiff said.

“This apostolic commitment is both a duty and an inalienable right, the very expression of religious freedom with its moral, social and political dimensions,” he said.

Like his predecessors, Pope Benedict is keen to promote missionary zeal among Catholics, most of whom live in a world of religious pluralism and other proselytising faiths such as Islam.

The pope’s message was also addressed to the faithful in countries where religious activity is strictly controlled by the state or even relegated to the private realm.

In December, the Vatican published a doctrinal note reaffirming the mission of all the faithful to seek to convert non-Catholics including members of other Christian denominations, while avoiding placing undue pressure on them.

The note highlighted the need for respect and a spirit of cooperation in dialogue with other Christians, and rejected past accusations of proselytising that have been levelled against it by the Russian Orthodox Church.

Relations between the Orthodox Church and the Holy See have been thorny, with the Moscow Patriarchate accusing the Vatican of proselytising in traditionally Orthodox lands following the breakup of the Soviet Union.

Tensions were further aggravated in 2002, after the Vatican established four permanent dioceses in Russia.

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Consequences

If the government of the State of California does not repent of its sin of mockery of Divine and Natural Law, a great chastisement will befall the inhabitants of the state, resulting in a great loss-of-life, and economic disaster.

Ἅγιος ὁ Θεός, Ἅγιος ἰσχυρός, Ἅγιος ἀθάνατος

The Trisagion prayer is considered one of the oldest prayers in Christianity. It may be that the prayer was originally an expansion of the angelic cry recorded in Revelation 4:8 (sometimes called the Sanctus).

In Greek the Trisagion prayer is:

Ἅγιος ὁ Θεός, Ἅγιος ἰσχυρός, Ἅγιος ἀθάνατος, ἐλέησον ἡμᾶς.

Agios o Theos, agios ischyros, agios athanatos, eleison imas.

In English this is:

Holy God, Holy [and] Mighty, Holy [and] Immortal, have mercy on us.

In Latin this is:

Sanctus/Sancte Deus, Sanctus/Sancte Fortis, Sanctus/Sancte Immortalis, miserere nobis.

In Church Slavonic this is:

Свѧтый Боже, Свѧтый Крѣпкїй, Свѧтый Бесмертный, помилѹй насъ.

Svyatui Bozhe, Svyatui Kriepkiy, Svyatui Besmertnui, pomilui nas.

In Amharic this is:

Qidus Igziabhér, Qidus Hayal, Qidus Hiyaw, Yemaymot, Abétu Yiqir Belen.

In Ge’ez(Ethiopic) this is:

Qidus Igziabhér, Qidus Hayal, Qidus Hiyaw, Ze’iyimewut, Tesehalene Egzi’o.

And in Arabic:

قدوس الله، قدوس القوي، قدوس الذي لا يموت ارحمنا

Quddusun Allah! Quddusun al-qawi! Quddusun al-adhi, la yamut irhamna.

In Aramaic:

ܩܕܝܫܐ ܐܠܗܐ، ܩܕܝܫܐ ܚܝܠܬܢܐ، ܩܕܝܫܐ ܠܐ ܡܝܘܬܐ، ܐܬܪܚܡܥܠܝܢ

Qadisha Alaha, Qadisha Ħilthana, Qadisha Lamayotha, ‘Ithraħim ‘aleyn.

In Polish this is:

Święty Boże, Święty Mocny, Święty Nieśmiertelny, zmiłuj się nad nami.

In Romanian this is:

Sfinte Dumnezeule, Sfinte Tare, Sfinte Fără de Moarte, miluieşte-ne pre noi.

In Finnish this is:

Pyhä Jumala, Pyhä Väkevä, Pyhä Kuolematon, armahda meitä.

In Georgian this is:

წმიდაო ღმერთო, წმიდაო ძლიერო, წმიდაო უკვდავო, შეგვიწყალენ ჩვენ.

Tsmidao Ghmerto, Tsmidao Dzliero, Tsmidao Ukvdavo, shegvitsqalen chven.

In Low mari (ethnos in Russian Federation) this is:

Святой Юмо, Святой Куатле, Святой Колыдымо, мемнам серлаге.

Svyatoy Yumo, Svyatoy Kolydymo, Svyatoy Kooatle, memnam serlage.

– Wikipedia

Goodness. Gracious.

Great Ball of Fire!

“Und now fur mein next trick.”

Nun’s Stories

Nuns wave to Pope Benedict XVI as he arrives for his weekly general audience at the Vatican May 14, 2008.

A group of nuns laugh during the visit of the Pope Benedict XVI in Santuario of Nostra Signora della Misericordia before the holy mass in Savona May 17, 2008.

The Big Picture

This Evening I Begin a New Mediation:

The need for Traditionalists to do whatever is necessary to Restore all Things in Christ. Saint Pius X, pray for us in our battle against Modernism.

Of Spice and Oil. Of Food and Shelter.

I have been working on a meditation over the last three weeks seeking some insight into the current economic situation in the U.S. What follows is a very brief journey through the meditation:

I envisioned the dead body of the Lord on a granite slab, similar to the stone of unction found in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. I joined his disciples in preparing His Body for the tomb. The sweet spices and the pungent oils wafted in air, disguising the odor of death.

The spices reminded me of food, while the olive oil brought images of crude oil. There, two aspects of the economic crisis. The rising cost of food brought by the rising cost of petroleum by-products are affecting every level of Western society. The people with whom I work, and the people we serve speak daily of the impact of rising costs on their families…an altar server’s father rides a bike to work…a family is about to lose their home…entire families are repatriating their ancestoral homelands…all as a result of the declining economy.

The Body of the Lord on the slab turns into a homeless family with their meager possessions on harsh, cold, unforgiving concrete. How do I contribute to preparing their bodies for life? Food, clothing and shelter are needed by the Body of Christ. I and those who follow me must respond to their needs in the days to come as the financial hardship befalls many.

One too many trips to the buffet table

Plaid is cool!

I was finally able to use this handy Latin phrase at the buffet. I said to a well-dressed senior gentleman:

“Braccae illae virides cum subucula rosea et tunica Caledonia-quam elenganter concinnatur!”